Introduction: Although general anesthesia (GA) is the most frequently used method of
anesthesia during lumbar microdiscectomy (LMD), the choice of regional anesthetic
(epidural, spinal or a combination of these) differs between surgeons and for different
anesthetics. Studies have reported that epidural anesthesia (EA) in lumbar disc hernia operations may be more reliable than GA, as it enables the surgeon to communicate with the patient during surgery, but a few studies have compared the costs of these two anesthetic methods in LMD surgery.
Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of
850 LMD operations under EA (n=573) or GA (n=277) performed by the same surgeon and paid by invoice to the Social Security Institution of the Turkish Republic between April 2003 and May 2013.(Fig_1)
Results: EA costs were significantly lower than GA costs
(p<0.01), and there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the time spent in the operating room (p<0.01). There was no difference in the duration of surgery (p>0.05). The anesthetic method used during LMD surgery affects
complication rate, cost and the efficiency of operating room use. (Fig_2)
Conclusions: The anesthetic method used during LMD surgery affects the complication rate, costs and efficiency of operating room use. We believe that EA is an anesthetic
method that can contribute to savings in the country’s economy and allow LMD to be completed with less nerve root manipulation and with more comfort, effectiveness, reliability and cost efficiency, without affecting the success rate of the surgical procedure.
Patient Care: We believe that EA is an anesthetic method that can contribute to monetary savings in country’s economy and that can enable LMD to be completed with less nerve root manipulation and more comfort, effectiveness, reliability and cost efficiency without affecting the success rate of the surgical procedure.
Learning Objectives: EA is an anesthetic method that can contribute to monetary savings in country’s economy and that can enable LMD to be completed with less nerve root manipulation and more comfort, effectiveness, reliability and cost efficiency without affecting the success rate of the surgical procedure.